My HIV Thank You™ Campaign Allows People Living With HIV To Acknowledge Someone Who Has Helped Them

NEW YORK, March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Napo"), announced today the launch of My HIV Thank You™, a social media campaign they are sponsoring which provides a platform for people living with HIV/AIDS, to share their personal stories of how someone – a doctor or other healthcare provider, friend, family member or person who has passed on – has made a positive impact on their HIV journey. By sharing stories, in the form of audio or video, words or pictures, at HIVThankYou.com, participants have an opportunity to share a moment of gratitude and help make a difference for others affected by HIV. This program is the brainchild of HIV advocates who feel sharing positive experiences is an important part of living with HIV.  Napo is the manufacturer of Mytesi^™, the only antidiarrheal studied in and FDA-approved for the relief of diarrhea in HIV+ patients.

"Living with HIV requires access to multiple resources, such as those provided by healthcare professionals and others living with HIV," said Lisa Conte, CEO, Napo Pharmaceuticals. "Napo is sponsoring My HIV Thank You to advocate for the HIV community and their healthcare providers by offering a platform to highlight the inspirational moments of people living with HIV and AIDS, which has certainly inspired me."

Napo has brought together some of the leading voices in the HIV community who conceived of the campaign based on their own experiences. Josh Robbins is an HIV/AIDS activist and the founder of imstilljosh.com and "HIV Video Minute." Josh says, "Since being diagnosed, I've read and heard encouragement from thousands of people on the same journey as me. My piece of advice is simple – start talking. And make that talk encouraging to others." Joining Josh in this effort is Maria Mejia, a powerful advocate for HIV education, treatment, testing and prevention. In her own words, Maria noted, "I am one of the faces of HIV. No more shame, no more stigma! We are just human beings that happen to have the condition of HIV. It's that simple."

To learn more about the My HIV Thank You visit HIVThankYou.com

About My HIV Thank You™
My HIV Thank You™ is sponsored by Napo Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Mytesi (crofelemer), the only antidiarrheal studied in and FDA-approved for the relief of diarrhea in HIV+ patients.¹ Designed to inspire and energize, My HIV Thank You™ calls for people living with or affected by HIV to share their positive personal stories with their healthcare providers or others who have helped them throughout their HIV journey.

About the Advisors
Josh Robbins is an HIV/AIDS activist, and publisher of the 2017 GLAAD Award nominated blog, imstilljosh.com. He hosts a digital news series across all social media platforms #HIVscoop. In 2015, he won the ADAP Advocacy Award for Social Media Campaign of the Year. He is the creator of two iOS apps: disclosur+ and Ask HIV, as well as the first HIV-related iMessage sticker pack. Recently, he signed on with the weekly podcast, POZ I AM Radio, offering an exclusive #HIVscoop to the program. His videos have garnered more than 1.4 Million minutes watched. Robbins currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee and owns a small health communications agency—the BRANDAGEMENT.

Maria Mejia has lived with HIV for over 27 years and is the co-author of her biography, "From a Warrior's Passion and Pain." Maria is a powerful activist for HIV education, treatment, testing and prevention, with a strong presence in traditional and social media. She is an active blogger and vlogger, motivational speaker and founder of a prominent international HIV/AIDS support group online. Maria is involved in several campaigns, including "Dab the AIDS Bear Project," the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention's "Let's Stop HIV Together" program and the "The Stigma Project." She also serves as a Global Ambassador for The Well Project. Maria lives with her wife, Lisa, in Miami, FL.

About Mytesi™
Crofelemer, the active ingredient in Mytesi, is a botanical (plant-based) drug extracted and purified from the red bark sap of the medicinal Croton lechleri tree in the Amazon rainforest.  Napo has established a sustainable harvesting program for crofelemer to ensure a high degree of quality and ecological integrity.

Mytesi (crofelemer) is an antidiarrheal indicated for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adult patients with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Mytesi is not indicated for the treatment of infectious diarrhea. Rule out infectious etiologies of diarrhea before starting Mytesi. If infectious etiologies are not considered, there is a risk that patients with infectious etiologies will not receive the appropriate therapy and their disease may worsen. In clinical studies, the most common adverse reactions occurring at a rate greater than placebo were upper respiratory tract infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

More information and complete Prescribing Information are available at Mytesi.com.

About Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
San Francisco-based Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., focuses on the development and commercialization of proprietary pharmaceuticals from rainforest resources for the global marketplace in collaboration with local partners. Recently, Napo and Jaguar Animal Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAGX), an animal health company focused on developing and commercializing first-in-class gastrointestinal products for companion and production animals, foals, and high value horses, announced plans for a proposed merger of the two companies.

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^{1 Mytesi™ is an anti-diarrheal indicated for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adult patients with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy.}

SOURCE Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.